Gamifying Hand Therapy: Development of a Mixed Reality Rhythm Game to Reduce Pain and Improve Motivation
27 de julio de 2026 actualizado por: Yushi Wang, Western University
The hand is one of the most functional and frequently injured parts of the body. Without proper recovery, patients can face significant impairments performing everyday tasks. Hand therapy is the cornerstone of hand rehabilitation, but the painful, repetitive, and monotonous nature of prescribed exercises leads to poor patient motivation and adherence, ultimately compromising long-term recovery outcomes.
New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have emerged as interactive and engaging modalities for rehabilitation, and can even reduce pain by distracting patients during exercises. However, mixed reality (MR), which is a new modality combining VR and AR has not been well studied for its ability to reduce pain in hand rehabilitation. Therefore, we developed HoloRehab, a mixed reality video game for hand rehabilitation, built for the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset. This device allow users to see and interact with realistic 3D holograms projected into their physical environment.
This pilot study will evaluate whether using HoloRehab can reduce discomfort and improve the exercise experience compared to traditional self-guided hand therapy exercises. After development of a prototyped game, we will run a pilot study involving 20 healthy participants assigned to either the mixed reality intervention or a traditional exercise group. Outcomes will include measures of discomfort, fatigue, and user experience.
Findings from this study will inform further development of the HoloRehab system.
Descripción general del estudio
Estado
Terminado
Condiciones
Intervención / Tratamiento
Tipo de estudio
Intervencionista
Inscripción (Actual)
20
Fase
- No aplica
Contactos y Ubicaciones
Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.
Ubicaciones de estudio
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Ontario
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London, Ontario, Canadá, N6A 3K7
- University of Western Ontario
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Criterios de participación
Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.
Criterio de elegibilidad
Edades elegibles para estudiar
- Adulto
- Adulto Mayor
Acepta Voluntarios Saludables
Sí
Descripción
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adult (≥18 years old) medical students at Western University
- English-speaking
- No existing hand pathology
- Able and willing to provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Neurological conditions
- Chronic pain conditions
- Previous hand surgeries
- Function-altering hand injuries
- History of motion sickness
- History of seizures or epilepsy
- Cold sensitivity or cold intolerance
- Current use of analgesic medications (e.g., NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids)
Plan de estudios
Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.
¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?
Detalles de diseño
- Propósito principal: Tratamiento
- Asignación: Aleatorizado
- Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
- Enmascaramiento: Ninguno (etiqueta abierta)
Armas e Intervenciones
Grupo de participantes/brazo |
Intervención / Tratamiento |
|---|---|
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Comparador activo: Traditional Rehabilitation
Participants in the traditional rehabilitation group perform self-guided finger range of motion exercises according to a provided guide, without any gaming component.
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Participants submerge their dominant hand in a cold-water bath while performing hand exercises with their non-dominant hand.
Otros nombres:
Participants perform hand exercises against finger extension resistance bands attached to the non-dominant hand.
Otros nombres:
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Experimental: HoloRehab Gaming Rehablitation
Participants in the HoloRehab Gaming Rehabilitation group perform the same finger range of motion exercises compared to traditional rehabilitation group, but through the medium of an extended reality rhythm video game with Microsoft HoloLens 3.
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Participants submerge their dominant hand in a cold-water bath while performing hand exercises with their non-dominant hand.
Otros nombres:
Participants perform hand exercises against finger extension resistance bands attached to the non-dominant hand.
Otros nombres:
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¿Qué mide el estudio?
Medidas de resultado primarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Time to cold water withdrawal
Periodo de tiempo: Assessed continuously during the cold pressor test, from hand immersion until voluntary withdrawal or a maximum of 15 minutes.
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The duration (seconds) that participants keep their hand submerged in a cold water bath before voluntarily withdrawing due to discomfort.
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Assessed continuously during the cold pressor test, from hand immersion until voluntary withdrawal or a maximum of 15 minutes.
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Time to fatigue failure
Periodo de tiempo: Assessed continuously during resisted hand exercise, from exercise initiation until voluntary cessation due to fatigue or a maximum of 15 minutes.
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The duration (seconds) that participants continue performing hand exercises against resistance bands before voluntarily stopping due to fatigue.
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Assessed continuously during resisted hand exercise, from exercise initiation until voluntary cessation due to fatigue or a maximum of 15 minutes.
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Discomfort Rating After Cold Water Withdraw
Periodo de tiempo: Assessed immediately following completion of the cold pressor test (within 1 minute of hand withdrawal).
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Participant-reported level of hand discomfort immediately following the cold pressor test, measured on a 1-10 numerical rating scale.
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Assessed immediately following completion of the cold pressor test (within 1 minute of hand withdrawal).
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Discomfort Rating After Resisted Exercise
Periodo de tiempo: Assessed immediately following completion of the resisted exercise task (within 1 minute of exercise cessation).
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Participant-reported level of hand discomfort immediately following resisted hand exercises, measured on a 1-10 numerical rating scale.
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Assessed immediately following completion of the resisted exercise task (within 1 minute of exercise cessation).
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Medidas de resultado secundarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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User experience
Periodo de tiempo: Assessed once immediately following completion of all study procedures during the single study visit (approximately 45 minutes after intervention initiation).
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Participant-reported overall satisfaction, usability, comfort, enjoyment, and perceived effectiveness of the assigned exercise modality, assessed using a post-intervention questionnaire consisting of Likert-scale items.
For participants in the intervention arm, this includes experience with the HoloRehab game and the HoloLens 2 headset.
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Assessed once immediately following completion of all study procedures during the single study visit (approximately 45 minutes after intervention initiation).
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.
Patrocinador
Publicaciones y enlaces útiles
La persona responsable de ingresar información sobre el estudio proporciona voluntariamente estas publicaciones. Estos pueden ser sobre cualquier cosa relacionada con el estudio.
Publicaciones Generales
- Wolf S, Hardy JD. STUDIES ON PAIN. OBSERVATIONS ON PAIN DUE TO LOCAL COOLING AND ON FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE "COLD PRESSOR" EFFECT. J Clin Invest. 1941 Sep;20(5):521-33. doi: 10.1172/JCI101245. No abstract available.
- Mott J, Bucolo S, Cuttle L, Mill J, Hilder M, Miller K, Kimble RM. The efficacy of an augmented virtual reality system to alleviate pain in children undergoing burns dressing changes: a randomised controlled trial. Burns. 2008 Sep;34(6):803-8. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2007.10.010. Epub 2008 Mar 5.
- Ali RR, Selim AO, Abdel Ghafar MA, Abdelraouf OR, Ali OI. Virtual reality as a pain distractor during physical rehabilitation in pediatric burns. Burns. 2022 Mar;48(2):303-308. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2021.04.031. Epub 2021 May 5.
- Neiman NR, Falkson SR, Rodriguez ST, Wang EY, Hemphill SF, Khoury ME, Kist MN, Jackson CD, Caruso TJ. Quantifying virtual reality pain modulation in healthy volunteers: A randomized, crossover study. J Clin Anesth. 2022 Sep;80:110876. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2022.110876. Epub 2022 May 4.
- Moreau S, Therond A, Cerda IH, Studer K, Pan A, Tharpe J, Crowther JE, Abd-Elsayed A, Gilligan C, Tolba R, Ashina S, Schatman ME, Kaye AD, Yong RJ, Robinson CL. Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2024 Sep;28(9):893-928. doi: 10.1007/s11916-024-01246-2. Epub 2024 Apr 8.
- Birnie KA, Noel M, Chambers CT, von Baeyer CL, Fernandez CV. The cold pressor task: is it an ethically acceptable pain research method in children? J Pediatr Psychol. 2011 Nov-Dec;36(10):1071-81. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsq092. Epub 2010 Oct 5.
- Pereira MF, Prahm C, Kolbenschlag J, Oliveira E, Rodrigues NF. Application of AR and VR in hand rehabilitation: A systematic review. J Biomed Inform. 2020 Nov;111:103584. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2020.103584. Epub 2020 Oct 2.
- Zhang C, Yu S. The Technology to Enhance Patient Motivation in Virtual Reality Rehabilitation: A Review. Games Health J. 2024 Aug;13(4):215-233. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2023.0069.
- Khamees KM, Deldar K, Yazarlu O, Tuama AM, Ganji R, Mazlom SR, Froutan R. Effect of augmented reality-based rehabilitation of hand burns on hand function in children: A randomized controlled trial. J Hand Ther. 2025 Apr-Jun;38(2):235-245. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2023.10.009. Epub 2024 Feb 12.
Fechas de registro del estudio
Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.
Fechas importantes del estudio
Inicio del estudio (Actual)
8 de junio de 2026
Finalización primaria (Actual)
10 de julio de 2026
Finalización del estudio (Actual)
24 de julio de 2026
Fechas de registro del estudio
Enviado por primera vez
9 de junio de 2026
Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
18 de junio de 2026
Publicado por primera vez (Actual)
25 de junio de 2026
Actualizaciones de registros de estudio
Última actualización publicada (Actual)
29 de julio de 2026
Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
27 de julio de 2026
Última verificación
1 de julio de 2026
Más información
Términos relacionados con este estudio
Palabras clave
Términos MeSH relevantes adicionales
- Actividad motora
- Movimiento
- Fenómenos fisiológicos musculoesqueléticos
- Fenómenos fisiológicos musculoesqueléticos y neuronales
- Terapéutica
- Modalidades de fisioterapia
- Atención al paciente
- Terapia de ejercicio
- Rehabilitación
- Cuidado por los convalecientes
- Continuidad de la atención al paciente
- Acondicionamiento físico, humano
- Ejercicio
- Entrenamiento de resistencia
Otros números de identificación del estudio
- 128579
Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)
¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?
NO
Descripción del plan IPD
No, individual participant data will not be shared, and is retained and used only by the study team.
Use of data is described in detail during the informed consent process, and will be stored securely in accordance with institutional research ethics requirements.
Due to our small sample size, there is a risk that participants can be re-identified even after de-identification if IPD is shared.
Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio
Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.
No
Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.
No
Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .